Crispy Medu Vada Recipe
Crispy Medu Vada is made with urad dal batter and a mix of spices and deep fried to a golden brown. South Indian Urad Dal Vada is not just made routinely for breakfast/snack, but it also is an integral part of festival menus.
Servings: 3
Calories: 73kcal
Ingredients
- Urad Dal, skinned black gram – 1 cup
- Onion – 1 small, chopped finely
- Green Chilli – 1, chopped finely
- Ginger – ½ inch, finely chopped
- Coriander Leaves – 1 tsp chopped
- Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
- Asafoetida – 1 pinch
- Rava Suji (optional) – 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Crushed Pepper – ½ tsp
- Oil for deep frying
- Water as required
Instructions
- Wash and soak the urad dal in sufficient water for about 5-6 hours.
- Finely chop onion, ginger, green chilli and coriander leaves.
- Drain and grind urad dal to a smooth paste using minimal water (if required, add a spoonful of water at a time).
- Remove the batter into a bowl. Add cumin seeds, grated ginger, chopped onions, chopped chilli, freshly ground pepper, chopped coriander leaves, a pinch of asafoetida and salt to the batter. Blend well with hand for 2-3 minutes till the batter becomes light and fluffy.
- Put in a tbsp of suji/rava and mix well.
- To test whether the batter is ready, drop a teaspoon of batter into a bowl of water – if it floats, you got the right consistency.
- Heat sufficient oil for deep-frying in a pan.
- Keep a bowl of water nearby. Wet your palm. Take a golf-ball sized portion of the batter with your fingers and place on your palm; gently pat into a round shape and make a hole in the centre. With the wet fingers of the other hand, carefully slide the uncooked vada into hot oil. (If you don’t really care for appearances, simply drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil!)
- Fry the vada on a medium-high flame till both sides turn golden brown.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
- Serve Medu Vada hot with coconut chutney, mint-coriander chutney or sambhar.
Notes
You can add shredded curry leaves and chopped coconut pieces to the batter.
A spoonful of rice flour can be added in place of suji for a crispy exterior.
The batter should be of the right consistency – when you place a little batter on your palm, it should retain its shape. If the batter is too thick, the inside of the vada will be hard; if the batter is runny, it will not hold its shape and will absorb excess oil.
Keep the batter refrigerated – otherwise the batter will go soft if kept out for too long. Bring to room temperature before making vadas.
You can also use a banana leaf to shape the vadas.
A spoonful of rice flour can be added in place of suji for a crispy exterior.
The batter should be of the right consistency – when you place a little batter on your palm, it should retain its shape. If the batter is too thick, the inside of the vada will be hard; if the batter is runny, it will not hold its shape and will absorb excess oil.
Keep the batter refrigerated – otherwise the batter will go soft if kept out for too long. Bring to room temperature before making vadas.
You can also use a banana leaf to shape the vadas.